It's All Understood
by CantChangeFate
Summary: A second chance at redemption, love and life. My vision of Charlie's third revival. Chaire. Chapter 7 now up!
1. Beating the Inundate

**First attempt at fanfic ever! My version of how Charlie could potentially come back to Lost. Starts shortly before his death. Some lines are taken from quotes I really like (such as Saw, or straight from the show) and I have read many theories and sort of put them into one. Reviews are GREATLY appreciated! I know it's really short, I'm just starting out for opinions and ideas.**

**I sadly do not own Lost, or any of the characters. If I did, Charlie would be alive.**

* * *

His throat was raw; it had felt like eternity as Charlie Pace floated underwater. _Bloody hell Charlie, just die_. His heart pounded as he waited for his sacrifice. At least Desmond seemed to understand his message that it was not Penny's boat.

As time passed, Charlie felt his arms tingling, his breaths shorter, yet he was not dead. He closed his eyes and waited his last moments. _I love you Claire and Aaron._ It dawned on Charlie something he had not carefully thought out, nor rather think of. What if Desmond lied? What if Claire and Aaron weren't part of his vision? Was he just making Charlie die to end his visions?

'_That Scottish bastard!_' Charlie thought. '_Here I am, constantly worrying about Claire and he's the one who sacrifices ME for his own greater good._'

Charlie felt himself choking up, as if he had a large object blocking his throat. Gasping and flailing tremendously in a last ditch effort to save his life, he gave in to death. To all the losses he has ever faced. To the idea of never becoming a rock god. To failing love and to failing Claire. With this moment, Charlie opened his eyes to the world he had to leave.

Dripping with water, Charlie opened his eyes to a wooden cabin. _What the bloody hell? Where the am I?_ Charlie glanced at his fingers. His heirloom ring was gone. _This isn't a dream_. The water dripped from his hair and rolled down his neck, giving him the shivers. Questions began pouring into his head as he viewed his surroundings.

A rocking chair began to slowly rock, and like magic, a man appeared with flowing brown hair. His beard wasn't trimmed, nor did Charlie recognize him. The stranger peered into Charlie's eyes and nodded with slight certainty that it was the right person.

"Who the bloody hell are you?!" Charlie stammered.

"Whoa, whoa, easy Charlie…I'm just trying to help you," came the calm response.

"Wait, how do you know my name? Tell me who you are!" demanded Charlie. _How does he know my name?_

"My name is Jacob, and I'm afraid I can't really explain much right now. Charlie, I appreciate your sacrifice. Just listen to me for a second." Charlie blinked in confusion. He slowly nodded. "Your sacrifice was meaningless, although very noble and brave. Those who do not appreciate life do not deserve life, and Charlie; I believe you appreciate your life, especially with Claire and Aaron. I've seen you abuse yourself and this is your last chance. Your chance to redeem yourself. Charlie, I need a favour from you." Jacob was giving a stern look to Charlie. "I need you to kill Benjamin Linus."

"Ben? Wh-"

"Benjamin has taken full control; he has listened to me and abused my advice. Absolute power has corrupted him and I'm afraid for the island. By any means, he must be killed. And this is where you come in." Charlie stared into Jacob's eyes for a moment, pondering why this man was so against Benjamin. Silence fell between the two men.

"Am I… you know, dead?" Charlie squeaked out, his voice still raw. Jacob smiled.

"Yes. But I can change this, if you accept my offer." Charlie bit his lip in confusion. Slowly, Charlie nodded in agreement, waiting what might become of him. "I can't guarantee that this new life will be easy, but I promise you another chance. I'm sorry I can't answer your questions, but you should go. "

"Wait, what about Cla-"

"Go Charlie, please. They need you." Before he could move, Charlie felt his eyes closing, like he was floating backwards and falling. _Cl..Claire …._

Fluttering his eyes open, Charlie found himself back in the Looking Glass. However, he was still underwater. Jacob's words lingered in his head, '_I can't guarantee this new life will be easy_'.Charlie mentally rolled his eyes, and began probing for a way to get out. As he tilted his head up, he almost stopped breathing.

An air pocket. …_How did I, -_

He struggled to swim up, but noticed his ankle was wedged. _Bloody hell._ Charlie began scuffing at his ankle, feeling his breath curtail. But he remembered his dad, telling him to jump and that'd he'd catch him. _I can do this._ Charlie tore his ankle free and he rushed to the air.

Charlie panted and gasped as he inhaled air. He grinned at the thought of being alive. Taking a big breath, he swam under to the window. Desmond was gone. Turning around, Charlie examined the window.

_I'm small, I could fit in this._

Taking another big breath, he pushed his way through the window. Charlie groaned as his shoulders scraped through, blood beginning to pour out of both arms. He felt his legs kicking and he smiled with the utmost joy. Charlie swam up to the top and felt the fresh air in his lungs again.

"I'm alive!!" Charlie screamed, despite his raucous voice. He plunged like a buoy for a moment before realizing his next challenge. As he turned from left to right, and from right to left, he noticed two islands. Charlie felt his anger built up, it was a 50/50 chance. At wit's end, Charlie began yelling. _BOLLOCK_

**I know this was really short, I just wanted some feedback before I posted the second chapter. Chapter 2 is ready, 3 is almost, but I'd loooove reviews!**


	2. Lost Without You

**Hey again. Since I got a decent amount of hits and a review, I thought I'd post the second chapter up for all of you! At the moment, I have at least seven Chapters going, but I will be hopefully extending that to at least over 10. Since this is a Chaire fic, I hope you all enjoy Claire's half of the story. For a lot of this chapter, I had to re-watch the first episode of Season 4 (couldn't stop crying, ahh!).**

**Again, I do not own Lost. **

* * *

Claire hushed Aaron to sleep and smiled to herself. She imagined seeing Charlie, a hero and her love, coming back from a courageous task with open arms for her and Aaron. Since the crash, Claire had fallen very hard for Charlie, despite the rough times. Now Claire found it hard to imagine life without Charlie, at least until this moment.

She saw Desmond and knew the two groups were finally meeting up. She watched as Rose found Bernard, Sun found Jin … but she couldn't find _her_ Charlie. Desmond dragged his feet up to her, his eyes sunken and unreadable. But she knew. Claire's eyes swelled with tears. Hurley muttered something to Desmond and lugged his heavy feet towards her.

Aaron began crying, sensing the untimely fate of Charlie. Hurley looked down, avoiding eye contact and shielding his tears.

"H-h-he's dead…." stuttered Hurley, tears forming in his eyes. His voice was cracking; her heart was breaking. Claire shook her head. _This can't be happening._ Hurley nodded. "Charlie's… dead, " he choked, tears clearly visible.

"N-no…" was all Claire could manage, tears streaming down her face. Embracing Hurley, she cried until she felt nothing except the numbness of her deceased Charlie.

"What… what happened?" came Claire's shaky response. She was barely audible. "I mean, how- how did he…?"

"… He was trying to help us…" Hurley pulled Claire into another hug, letting her sob on him. _He's… gone. Charlie's dead._ Claire felt a lump in her throat; she couldn't handle this. Aaron began crying. It seemed as if everything just collapsed on her.

_No. He can't be. Charlie is not dead. He told me not to worry. HE SAID HE WOULD BE FINE!_ The tears poured down her face as Claire began shaking uncontrollably. She let go of Hurley and watched as Jack beat down Locke.

Locke began gasping as Jack advanced, but at this point, what did it matter. Charlie had died trying to save them. _To save me_. Claire seemed so out of it, it was all so surreal.

"Jack," came Juliet's soft voice. Claire looked up to see a gun held to Locke's head, Jack holding the gun.

"You're not gonna shoot me Jack…" managed John. "Anymore than I was gonna shoot-

Click. Jack pulled the trigger and everyone watched. Jack stared at the gun, mostly in confusion and frustration that Locke was not dead.

"It's not loaded," replied Locke, surprised that Jack just shot at him.

As Jack leaned closer, he began throwing punches and screaming. "Let's do it!" Jack yelled. Claire hid Aaron, whose crying was finally beginning to quiet down. The men began arguing loudly, Claire still dumbfounded by the loss of Charlie.

"Do you know what he did?!" screamed Jack.

"Yes I know what he did!" yelled Sayid, as Locke tried to stand up.

"All I did …all I have ever done… has been in the best interest of all of us…" panted John.

"Are you insane?!" bellowed Jack.

"I know I…I have a lot of explaining to do. But I never did anything to hurt any of you." As Locke spoke, Aaron began crying again. Claire tried to hush him as best as she could. "I even risked my life to tell you that there was a traitor in your midst."

"She helped us John," retorted Jack. "All you ever did was blow up every chance we had of getting off this island. You killed Naomi!"

Surprisingly, Ben spoke. "Well, technically, he didn't kill her yet."

Out of nowhere, Kate appeared. Claire hadn't even noticed she was gone. "Yes, he did. She just died. She didn't give you up John. She covered for us and she fixed this. They're on their way," Kate said as she gave Jack an enormous phone.

"She didn't cover for anyone. She wants her people to come here. And trust me, when they do, we had better be far away from here. I'm going to the Barracks. The Others abandoned them. It's the only place on the island with any form of security right now; it'll have to do, until I think of something else. Until then, if you want to live, you need to come with me," said John. His words seemed to split people; to choose the man of science or the man of faith.

"No one's going anywhere with you, John," spat Jack. "Because they're not crazy-"

"He's not crazy." Hurley spoke up. Everyone fell silent. "What about Charlie?" Hurley asked. Claire felt tears bubbling again, it seemed as if everyone had just forgot what he had done. "Charlie went down to that place so we could all be rescued."

Claire tried to calm herself, taking deep breaths to suppress the tears from falling.

"And whatever he did down there… it worked." Hurley shook his head as he spoke. "But then, something must've happened. He must have heard something before he… I don't know why, but he changed his mind. Because the last thing he did, was to warn us that the people on that boat are not who they said they were. So I'm not listening to you. I'm listening to my friend. I'm listening to Charlie." Hurley looked down, his tears were forming. He began to walk towards John Locke, deciding the separation of both camps.

"Anyone else?" Locke questioned. "There isn't much time."

Claire had been breathing heavily since Hurley spoke about Charlie. _I will always remain faithful to you Charlie, always._ Claire walked with Aaron towards John. The camp began to split up, many choosing Jack and some choosing Locke. As the rain poured, it seemed more people had chosen Jack.

_Charlie, I love and believe you._

"You know where to find us when you change your minds," replied John. He turned abruptly back on himself and headed deeper into the jungle. The small group he had persuaded followed. _I really hope you were right Charlie…._ A single tear rolled down Claire's face as she marched through the jungle in front of Hurley.

* * *

Claire had trekked through the jungle most of the night hoping to reach the Barracks within a day or so. By the time the group reached their new homes, Claire was exhausted and Aaron was cranky.

Claire tried to shake off the feeling that Charlie was going to appear in one of the houses and still be alive. _He's gone Claire, he isn't coming back._

Claire had to admit life in the Barracks was nice, not to mention it was civilized. She had hot water, all kinds of food, a running toilet… it was all such a luxury. But she still missed Charlie. Even Aaron could sense that he was gone as he had not been a very happy baby.

Since Charlie had gone, Claire noticed she never left her house and that she had to spend a greater amount of time in her day tending Aaron. She remembered and missed how Charlie could coo him back to sleep for her so she could sleep in. Claire sighed, life without Charlie just wasn't the same.

It wasn't until about a week later that Claire realized she didn't have Aaron's crib. The DHARMA one Hurley had found her was nice, but Aaron didn't like it as they one he grew up in. It was a sunny morning when Claire stepped outside to find Hurley. The wind was the perfect strength, not a cloud in the sky and all was quiet.

She ran into Kate, surprisingly, and stopped to chat. "Kate? What are you doing here?" questioned Claire. _This is a bit odd?_

Kate smiled. "I know, I'm here to see Sawyer. How are you doing? Aaron okay?"

"Oh yeah, he's fine. Me? I guess I'm alright, the hot water is nice." Claire tried to show she was okay, but Kate detected some sorrow.

"If you need me, I'm always available okay? I can't understand how hard it is for you… we all miss him," Kate consoled. Claire smiled.

"Thanks, I really appreciate that." Silence fell for a second. "By any chance do you know where Hurley is? I forgot to send someone to fetch my belongings at the be- "

Claire heard a cracking noise and spun around. Desmond smiled weakly at her, carrying most of her belongings. Most importantly, she noted, was the crib.

"Oh! Desmond! Thank you! Please, let me take something," Claire said. Desmond nodded curtly, and looked around for her house. "Oh, silly me, it's this one," Claire pointed, smacking her head in stupidity.

The two walked silently to the house. Since Charlie's death, he hadn't explained everything or even spoke to her. Desmond set down the crib and Claire fixed him some tea.

"Oh, you don't have to, y'know," Desmond started.

"Please, I insist. I appreciate that you brought the crib," grinned Claire. Desmond looked down, worried of upsetting Claire.

"He was a good man, Claire. He really loved you." Claire nodded quickly, tears starting to form. "He, uh, left you this letter." Desmond quickly gave her the letter that Charlie had written. Claire put on her best fake smile, and Desmond could sense she was upset.

"Thanks Des, for everything."

"Claire, I want you to know I tried to stop him." Claire froze, but nodded quickly much like a bobble head. Desmond turned quickly and left.

Claire let her tears flow like a cerulean stained ocean. Aaron was placed back in his wooden crib. Claire was about to open the letter when she heard a loud 'clink' close to the crib. She examined a small silver object. It had big letters reading 'DS' and her heart sank. Claire recognized the ring in seconds, it happened to be Charlie's.

Lying on her couch, Claire sobbed for her Charlie. _Why did you have to do this Charlie?_ She finally collected herself and opened the letter. She began to skim the letter, and her heart broke into a thousand pieces. Claire slowly read the last line:

#1 The night I met YOU


	3. Can't Change Fate

**Sorry for the wait! I got 100 hits (woo!) so I decided to post this. The next one will DEFNITILY be delayed, I am terribly sorry! Review and comment if you'd like (although I'd loveee it!)**

**Again, I own nothing!**

* * *

Fate is unchangeable. What is set in stone cannot be corrected or at least for a certain time.

Charlie was weak, but resilient. The blood seemed to clot, and it ceased to flow out of his arm. The Brit gasped for air, still lucky to be alive for the third time.

'Threes the charm,' he muttered quietly.

His problem was still an eminent issue. Both islands looked virtually identical, and there was no sign of human life on either. Not even a polar bear, Others or the 'monster'. Charlie began debating his options. _Well, on the left, we have … Island 1. On the right, we have … Island 2? Bugger. _

And as fate had it, Charlie chose wrong. He chose left instead of right.

* * *

By the time Charlie reached the sandy shores, he collapsed onto his knees and heaved. He lay on his back watching the clouds for a moment before calling out to anyone.

"Claire? Jack? Desmond? Anyone?!" came Charlie's cries, but nothing. The wind rustled the leaves and Charlie began sauntering down the coastline, calling occasionally. Still, Charlie heard nothing. _Am I on the wrong side?_The ex-junky frowned, and continued walking.

He soon realized how hungry he was. Cutting off the sand, Charlie began walking through the jungle. After finding a ripe mango, he sat himself down and began to think out his next options. He suddenly had the urge to play his guitar. He grinned at his brilliant idea; he would write a song for Claire.  
_  
Hurry on home to bed  
Claire you're much stronger than I'd ever hoped to be  
O Claire the nights when you're not there_

Charlie stopped for a moment, trying to find the right tune. _Have I lost my musical ability?_ He continued humming a melody for his Claire.  
_  
Is more than I can bear  
Something only we can share  
O Claire_

The tune was a little off, along with his singing, but he was pleased with his musical ability. '_DriveShaft… the reunion/rescue tour'._ Charlie laughed at the idea, he didn't even know if he stopped the jamming mechanism. _Surely I did, the yellow light stopped… hell, I even talked to Penny!_ He frowned and fumed quietly, deciding to ultimately believe he stopped the jamming.

As day turned to night, Charlie forgot he had nowhere to sleep. He hummed to himself as he continued walking through the vast jungle, until he came across a clearing. He began examining the large cages, particularly noticing the unique DHARMA symbol, unlike the Swan. It looked like many snake-heads within one snake.

Charlie looked through the cages and noticed footprints. Some in shoes, some bare feet, and some of both. He thought back to what Kate and Sawyer had said when they got back. How they had been held in separate cages … on a separate island. _Peachy, just really bloody peachy._ Deciding on a cage to sleep in, he chose what was Kate's and slept an uncomfortable night.

* * *

Charlie awoke the next morning stiff, sore and lonely. He missed Claire and Aaron deeply. He also realized he was now on the wrong island. Swimming about half way had been bad enough, he couldn't imagine swimming the whole length.

He decided to explore the perplexing DHARMA station. The other cage had an interesting mechanism, with a food button and an askew lever system. The Brit decided to not bother with the cage, but turned his eyes to a camera. The red light above the camera indicated it was still on and most likely following Charlie's every move. He frowned, and waved slowly at the lens.

Leaving the cages, he continued walking around the very unusual DHARMA station. The one-hit-wonder was still debating about how to cross the vast ocean that fell between the two islands. _How did we not notice this second island before?!_ He walked under a pavilion, curious to where it could lead him.

It came so suddenly and so quickly, Charlie could not change the fate of the trap. He tripped over a wire, muttering a quick 'crap', before plunging down a hole. He landed with a large thud and began cursing under his breath.

"I told you, I heard something!" Charlie fell silent. _Way to go, you daft._

"Fine, then you go and see," came the ignorant response. Charlie couldn't tell if they were two guys, girls or combinations of the two. He sat in what appeared to be a hamper drop for quite some time before the 'Others' departed.

"We haven't spoken to anyone in weeks, Richard. How can you be-"

"Ben said he would be here in a few weeks, okay Cindy?" _I have to kill Ben. I can't leave yet._ Charlie frowns as he planned out when he can make it across to his island.

It seemed like hours before Charlie could actually attempt to get out of the hamper. He studied the area, feeling for mechanisms and sat there stumped. As he shifted his weight slightly, he stumbled out into the open. _Crap!_ Slinking through the corridor, Charlie began peaking in doors, looking for anything.

He came across another DHARMA symbol, yet it was different from the faux snake logo. It resembled a lightning bolt with an arrow pointing down at the tip. He examined it carefully, and walked silently through the station.

It was large, very similar to the imploded Swan, but with more wiring. Charlie guessed it was the room where all the power came from and noted this in case of emergency. He entered a room where the he thought the Others had been talking and began searching.

The Brit smiled at the table, gazing over maps of both islands. He looked at the weird logo of the Hydra and noticed another area underwater. _Bloody hell, not again_. The Brit's eyes gazed towards the door as he carefully folded the map into his pocket. After searching the room, he began to look for an exit. He gave himself a lopsided grin as he found stairs. Charlie looked at his surroundings, noting how close he was to the cages.

As night fell, Charlie went back to his cage to sleep, now fearful that someone might find him. But as the sky went from blue to black and back to blue, he woke up to find his cheery self once again. Today, his objective was to locate the other Hydra station, since it seemed that this area was quite important.

Charlie turned the map over again and again, trying to determine how it was to be read. Frustrated, he grumbled through the jungle until he reached a clearing. He looked at a gazebo, placed neatly on the beach. _Blimey… how'd this get here?_ But a crack in the jungle made it apparent there would be no investigating.

Charlie began running, harder with every step. It reminded him of his first mission with Jack and Kate the day the plane crashed.

_

* * *

_

_The fix had felt so nice, like a soothing sensation of ripples flowing through his body. But now Charlie had other problems. This 'monster' that they had heard the previous night had just killed the pilot of the airplane and was about to get them if they didn't leave._

"Jack come on!" came Kate's frantic wail.

"Just leave it!" yelled Charlie, as the plane lurched back and forth.

_And that's when they ran. Kate led the way, followed closely by Jack and Charlie. The three sprinted, hearing eerie noises just feet behind them. Trees were shaking, it was wet, dark and intimidating._

_Charlie threw the occasional look back, being at the back of the pack. His legs were pumping with adrenaline._

_The distance between Charlie and the 'thing' grew closer and closer, and the junkie urged his legs to move. He was almost safe, almost safe..._

* * *

He ran down the beach, avoiding whatever was in the jungle. The ex-junkie paused briefly at a dock with an open hatch before climbing frantically down the ladder. He stopped to view his new surroundings. It had many corridors, and a room separated by glass. Charlie scratched his head, deciding to check out the new Dharma station.

His frown grew into a grin with the sighting of the Hydra logo. But his disappointment grew immensely with no details in the station.

Just before leaving, Charlie paused briefly at an open door. Peaking inside, he looked at nine different monitors, all turned off. He began switching on and off the screens, trying combinations of switches. Eventually, some monitors clicked on, with fuzzy images or empty places. The Brit noticed one thing in particular. A group of people were gathering outside near some housing he had never seen. He watched his friend Hurley closely while he talked with a stranger off screen. He was laughing and joking around with this person and it intrigued the former junky.

Charlie's mouth fell open as he watched in awe. It was Claire. He pressed his fingers on to her, trying to connect with her or Aaron.

"Claire…" he heard himself mutter softly.

But it came so suddenly; he had no choice to buckle to the floor in pain.

And that was the last he ever saw.

* * *

**I might do a half and half next chapter, since Claire isn't really doing much. Thanks again for all the hits and reviews! Wow, so I got 85 hits in one day! By the end of the day, it was an additional 100!! Thanks SO much everyone!**


	4. Breach

**Hi everyone. I am apologize sincerely for the wait! It's taken me much longer than expected. I also changed the plot from the original, so bear with me as I try to fix what I was going to do in the end! Comments are highly appreciated! **

Everything became a hazy blur as his eyes slowly flickered open. _Ugh…blimey, where am I?_ He rolled off back into a slumber, his head pounding when he tried to remember what had happened.

It seemed like weeks when Charlie finally came around. He was back in his cage, but unfortunately, he was locked up this time. The air smelt wonderfully delicious, and his nose scrounged out anything that seemed of food qualities. As the Brit fumbled to regain consciousness, the warm memories and visions of Claire filled his mind. It became suddenly hard to stop smiling.

"What are you smiling at?" growled an Other, who watched him closely.

"Nothing, just feeling peachy," retorted Charlie. His hands were red, most likely from handcuffs and he was sore all over.

Charlie closed his eyes and tried to rest again, hoping to dream or envision Claire. She looked happy, yet broken on the screen. He even went to notice she was wearing his ring around her neck. As he tried to keep his vision alive, the Brit felt himself slowly falling back asleep.

Days went on before Charlie left his cage again. His head was still sore, but he finally being spoken to for the first time since his black out. As they went to place a bag over his head, like he did to Sun, an Other came to them.

"He's already seen everything. There's no point now," came the husky response. Charlie stared him in the eye, his short hair looked quite fresh and his face was worn.

The group walked silently until Charlie found himself bound to a chair for his investigation. Richard began slowly examining the Brit, with a bright red folder in his hand. The Other began flipping through pages, quickly skimming and occasionally glancing up.

"What's that you got there?" questioned Charlie, for the sake of curiosity knowing he wouldn't receive an answer.

Richard closed the folder. "This, Charlie Pace, is your life…or should I say, was your life," Charlie gawked, as he felt violated, angry and scared all in one. "You should be dead."

Charlie, avoiding his gaze, refused to comment.

"How did Mikhail not kill you?" forced Richard.

Charlie grinned. "I'm invincible."

Richard frowned, clearly not amused. "How you survived is beyond me, but now, why are you here?"

Charlie paused, thinking of how to tackle the question. Richard looked down, waiting for an answer. "Jacob sent me."

Richard's head shot up, and he ran up to the former junkie, strangling him slightly. "What did you just say?"

"I said… Jacob sent me." The Other let go, and Charlie rubbed his neck in pain. Richard shook his head in disbelief, and the two sat in an awkward silence.

"Take him back, we're finished here," came the quiet response. Charlie was picked back onto his feet and escorted out. He was pushed forcefully into his cage and given a small sandwich. Hungrily, the Brit wolfed the sandwich down and sat on the concrete bench. He has lost recollection of what day it was, how many days they had been there or what time it was.

As he sat in silence, Charlie sang out his tune for Claire in an effort to be recognized by anyone. When no one came, his voice became raspy and he felt like a wolf howling to the moon. The ex-junky felt weak and slept another pitiful night on the bench.

* * *

The hot water running all over her body was still a shock, and a treat, to the new mother. Aaron had just been put to sleep and Claire took her time, enjoying the small leisure activity she could.

With Charlie's ring safely around her neck and his letter close to her bed, Claire slipped into what would be the worst day of her life.

The bombs, guns and eerie noises of the 'monster' awoke Claire. Frantically, she began calling for Aaron. She crept back to her bed when she remembered Hurley had taken him.

The bomb hit came so fast, Claire barely had time to grab her letter. The house was blown apart, with gunfire shortly after. The Australian lay on the ground, knocked out and now alone. _Aaron… please be safe…_.

When she came to, Locke was waking her.

"Claire, Claire… are you alright?"

She couldn't sit up, her stomach prevented that. "I'll be okay. Where's Aaron?"

And that's when all hell broke loose. "You don't have him?" came Locke's response.

Tears welled her eyes. "Hurley… he took him this morning, I-I-"

"Claire, I told you, you can't lose Aaron!" bellowed Locke. "The island NEEDS him!"

"But where's Hurley? Where did he take my baby!?" screamed Claire.

"He… left the island. With 5 others."

Claire began sobbing. _Aaron… he's gone too. _First her love, and now her baby. Locke tried to comfort her, but there was no way of explaining it.

Locke looked her in the eye. "Claire, we're in for some rough times. Aaron had a connection to the island, and now everything is disrupted," Locke replied bitterly.

Claire glared at his face. "You know what John, I made a terrible mistake following you," she spat. She forced herself up and headed to the beach, to find someone who actually cared.

_Charlie, I need you now more than ever. Why did you die?_ Tears ran down her face as she trekked through the jungle with all that she had; her ring and letter.

* * *

Charlie was awoken violently and then had his head placed in a bag. However, he could hear the 'Others' talking close to him.

"Was the raid successful? Did we capture Ben?"

"Yes we caught Ben, but there were some issues…" came an uneasy reply.

"What do you-?"

"We had a breach. 6 got off the island."

Silence fell between the group. Charlie cocked his head to listen. _Bloody hell! Who got off?_

"Who got off?" came a slow, unsteady voice.

"Jarrah, Reyes, Kwon, Shepard, Austen and Littleton," came the answer. Charlie's mouth fell open. _Did Claire leave? Or did Aaron? Or did they both leave?_

"Pregnant Kwon has left, her baby was conceived on the island. We need it back."

"And Littleton? How do we get both of them back?"

There was a short pause. "Claire didn't leave…but Aaron did." _Oh. My. God._

**I hope you all enjoyed that! Expect hopefully an update within a week! Enjoy the new episode Thursday!**

**Update as of April 30th:I want to SINCERELY apologize for not posting anything in SUCH a long time. The fifth chapter is going to be much much longer, and is another double chapter (so Chaire). At the moment, it's about 1100 words (no Claire yet either, Charlie's side is not finished). I also recently cleaned up some of the chapters.**

I do not own Lost. :(

* * *


	5. Gone

**

* * *

**

Alright, I allow you to have many reasons for being mad. I sincerely apologize for not updating in over a week. Although, last night's Lost was wonderful for Jate fans like me! This is a dual chapter again, and it's a lot lengther than usual. I hope you enjoy! Reviews would be lovely.

* * *

Charlie stood there dumbfounded. _Claire, please don't be dead. I'm coming for you, I promise._ He thought of baby Aaron, most likely with Kate he assumed, cradled in her arms on his way to home, the place he had never been.

The men were dead silent now. It seemed the fact that Aaron left the island was a greater issue than the fact Sun had left and was going to potentially give birth to a healthy baby.

"…Aaron left the island…?" came an unfamiliar man.

"Unfortunately yes, but at the moment, we're doing ever-"

"Does Ben know?"

"Yes." There was yet another pause. "He sacrificed his daughter to escape."

* * *

The trees rustled as the cool wind passed through the canopy. Her dirty, platinum blonde hair fell about her forehead as tears still shined on her dirty cheek. The black dirt was smeared across her legs, arms and face, the memory of the bomb so vivid in her mind. Aaron's cries rang through her ears, creating glistening tears in the corners of her small eyes. The world seemed so different now to her, as she was presumed dead by many, forgotten by some and lonely without her peanut butter.

Claire dragged her feet behind her, not daring to look up nor did she really care. Everything she had ever longed or worked for was stolen from her, like a greedy and ignorant fox. She noticed no difference between the scenery as she trekked from Otherton back to the beach. Sawyer had been with her at one point, along with the freighter boy Miles, but both were lost sometime after the attack came.

The bombing had seemed like so long ago, but it was the occurrences after she faintly remembered. The new mother had been carried by the conman after her attack to the house, then, as she had been told, the freighter people had killed Benjamin Linus' daughter and they fled. Somehow, Ben had wielded the smoke monster to aid their efforts (which it had) and they ran. Running through the jungle, Claire had no recollection of the events that had occurred from the time she was woken up by Locke.

Day fell to night and the once pregnant Claire settled under a tree for the night. The stars shone brightly through the trees, the night so beautiful it made her weep in misery. _I miss you Aaron and Charlie_. She felt like fate just had it out for her, that nothing could go right.

* * *

Charlie had a hard time resisting the urge to scratch his head. _He had a daughter?_ Charlie laughed a little to himself. _Who would sleep with him?_

The tension between the Others was immense, as Charlie could sense. It had been minutes and no one had said anything.

Finally, Richard spoke. "…We can discuss this another time. We do have a guest you remember." A knot in Charlie's stomach began to form, curling into a fistful of bumps and horrible pains. An Other pulled him harshly by his cuffed wrists, which bled slightly and were wretched in pain. His feet shuffled forward, trudging along like a sulking child.

Despite the black, cloth-like bag veiling his face, Charlie's eyes were closed. His deep thoughts drowned out the noise in the background. Claire's petite and fragile image came into view as she walked through a jungle with tears streaming down her face. It hurt Charlie to not be able to hold and comfort Claire, especially without Aaron.

As his mind wandered, the Brit envisioned Aaron sleeping soundly in Kate's arms. He couldn't understand _why_ she had taken Aaron, or what had happened. But as soon as he over thought it, he began imaging a dead Claire, a worse thought than them all.

It seemed like years had passed, when in reality, only a few short hours had come and gone. Charlie's new and improved self (since his drug addiction ceased) was more immune to the walking. The former rocker would have never managed walking this far without breaks pre-crash.

"We're here. Take off his bag," came a cool Richard. The bag was unveiled and Charlie blinked at his surroundings. His head cocked sideways as he examined the structure from afar.

The lofty, metal building was stamped with exotic DHARMA logos and had an enormous round roof. The DHARMA logo, made up of the basic octagon, featured a large eye with a row of full eyelashes. The eye stared Charlie directly in the eye, slightly disturbing him.

"What is this?" he felt himself asking.

"They called it the Retina. It's used for astronomy." Richard nodded solemnly at the vacant building, then turned his attention to Charlie.

"So…what are we doing here? Creating magical constellations?" Charlie smirked; sometimes being the saucy one was fun.

Richard stared at him blankly. "We're staying here until Ben arrives."

Charlie's mind began filling up of what Jacob said. He had to kill Ben before Jacob's promise expired. He tried not to seem interested, but he just longed to embrace the emotional Claire once again, and killing Ben seemed to be the answer to that. The face he had imagined her having was not a pleasant sight; it was heart wrenching and gave the Brit the reality of his loneliness and despair.

Charlie was pulled into the building and held in a diminutive room. He was guarded day and night, given a supplement of food to stay healthy and was generally left alone. However, his "subtle" inquiries about Ben were always laughed off or generally ignored.

Out of ignorance, the rocker would sing songs, especially his hit "You All, Everybody". Sometimes he'd sing depressing songs as he slouched on the floor in a slump, like a wolf howling in agony to the moon.

It was days, maybe even weeks before he heard anything about Ben.

"You said he is en route by the Desmond boat?"

"Positive. I received the signal from the Temple." Whispers ensued, nothing poor Charlie could manage. _Betcha it's the bloody amps, blowing out my ears._ He closed his eyes and focused on this crucial eavesdropping.

"Excellent. But what about Pace? Should we-"

"No. Not yet. Ben will know what to do." Charlie grimaced; Ben's ideas usually never benefited anyone but himself.

"Did he say anything about the Looking Glass?"

"Unfortunately for us, Pace _did_ manage to shut off the mechanism… but, between you and me, I still can't believe Ben had Bonnie and Greta down there all this time, and that he just sacrificed them! I just don't remember if this is what I signed up for…" The voice trailed off, leaving Charlie the impression that not even the Others know what Ben has in store. But he smiled at his courage and success; _maybe I'm the reason my friends are off the island_. His ideas swirled about his head, and he drifted off into a deep sleep.

* * *

Claire awoke the next morning and tried to be positive. She managed to find some fruit and staggered weakly to a stream. She knelt down and hastily slurped warm she held in the tiny cup she had made using her hands. She sat there staring into her reflection and noticed how dirty she was. Disregarding if anyone was near, she slowly stripped her petite figure of her worn and dirty clothes, and tiptoed into the lukewarm stream.

She had bathed for about thirty minutes when she finally heard some rustling in the distance. Abruptly, she snatched her clothes and tried her best to pull them on. The Australian finally stepped out and into the clearing. She smiled when she saw her favourite conman run open arms to her.

"Sweetheart, how are you?" he embraced her in a warm and inviting hug. Sawyer had recently been protecting her, as Charlie would have, and given her a very sweet nickname. She looked at him longingly and held her head. _Maybe he doesn't know._

"… I-I," she tried, but no words could make what she said seem less of an impact than it was. "Sawyer," her eyes welled with tears. "6 of them left… Aar-Aaron was one of them." The sobs rolled down her cheeks in seconds and she felt a large hand rub her back.

"Who else left?" Sawyer questioned, unsure of whether he wanted to know.

"Jack, Sun, Hugo, Sayid, Aaron…" Claire paused, knowing this four-letter word would be the second hardest thing to ever say. "And … K-Kate."

Sawyer stared blankly, and staggered slightly. The two held each other and cried quietly in the peaceful morning. _All I do is cry._ She smiled to herself and pulled back to look at Sawyer. As they swayed in a slow and agonizing hug, he pulled her into the right direction and they began hiking through the trees.

"I guess we both lost something, sweetheart." Claire looked up at him and gave him a weak smiled, which he returned and they continued on.

* * *

Charlie awoke to a loud, grumbling and was jerked awake from fear. Men were shouting, and he heard the plundering noise of it. Since day one it was the burden to this island. _I guess it made its way over to this one too, peachy… just bloody peachy._

The rocker leapt hastily out of this cell and began sprinting around the DHARMA station, looking for an exit all the while trying to avoid the clicking, whirring and perturbing noises from outside.

* * *

_The loud, gurgling noises came deep within the jungle. It was just abstract noise, like metal pans beating each other with fists of placid fury; it had no pattern and it made the leaves rustle violently._

_Charlie instantly looked up, despite his body's aching for another fix. Bloody stop it Charlie, there's bigger issues now. He panned around to see the frozen survivors, like him, pondering and fearing the askew noise._

_The noise softened, with a hissing, gurgling and rough grinding sound slowly progressing through the vast jungle._

"_What was that?" came the annoying blonde._

_The man beside him, Sayid, stood up and began to move closer to the racket. Charlie followed, not wanting to be left alone when that 'thing' could be anything or attack at anytime._

"_That was weird, right?" he asked cautiously._

_The trees we're rustling close to their new home, the beach. Bushes and forestry timbered sideways as the clatter was finally ceasing._

"_Did anybody see that?" asked the pregnant girl. Charlie had secretly been eyeing her since the crash. She was gorgeous, petite and … pregnant. No one wanted to associate with her, the ticking time bomb of responsibility, but the junky felt eager to sit and chat with the Australian._

"_Yeah," replied the obese man. Things were beginning to finally settle down … but not for long._

_The noise went from metal ticking and whirling to loud "woo's". The metal hissing continued and everyone gathered closely together. Next came the clicking, slowly, then a combination of everything. All hell was breaking loose, and the sounds began creeping closer and closer, from more than one location. Charlie had edged his way behind the pregnant girl, feeling his courage overcome his need for a fix, as he felt the need to protect her._

_Sayid squeezed in between the two, as the 'thing' finally retreated from the advance._

"_Terrific," retorted Charlie._

* * *

The 'monster', as Charlie had once seen, was very real, very dangerous and very likely lived on both islands. He sprinted towards an exit opposite to where 'Smokey' (as it had been named by the 815 survivors) was probably awaiting him.

Chaos was scattered throughout the abandoned building, causing a blur of people to run past him, with no second thoughts. But Charlie wasn't ready to let someone pass him. The face just too recognizable and all too familiar to ignore. Halting his run, he yanked a scrawny and eerie man to his face with surprise, delight and fear.

_"_Hello Charlie." The man smiled, despite the racket and pandemonium. His mouth formed a smile suggesting he had already sacrificed the Rook to take the King. _You make me sick_.

Charlie gripped the Other by the throat and whispered into his ear. "You're going to die Ben."

**I want to apologize for short and dull Claire chapters, as I'm not sure what I want her to be doing just yet. I'm trying to see what happens in the real show (so it can be accurate) before writing. Thanks again for everything!**


	6. Tranfusion of Both Worlds

**I would LOVE to apologize to my readers. It's been well over a month since the finale of Lost. I will admit, I got a little out of touch of writing (though I have ideas!) and then I had major, major jaw surgery early July. I had half of Claire's part written and never got around to finishing her part or even starting Charlie's. Anyways, this chapter may seem a little confusing so let me explain. The first part of Claire's is the same time as Charlie's. The second Claire section is in the future (next chapter will be the missing time) and is in line with Charlie's second half. I apologize it's not very long, but I really wanted to focus on Claire for once and not Charlie. Enjoy anyways!**

**I own nothing. :(**

* * *

The jungle seemed inviting as the trek with Sawyer calmed Claire. She still had no idea how she lost Aaron and gave a longing look at Sawyer. He looked down at her, recognized what she meant and smiled wearily.

"We were camping and you left in the middle of the night. I don't know why, but Miles knew you left. I… I tried to follow you, I, uh, called for you, but you were gone…." There was an awkward silence. "I thought you were … dead."

"What about Aaron?" Claire shifted uneasily.

"You brought him with you and I found him safely. He was crying and I couldn't find you…. Hugo came back, I-I thought you would have wanted him, over me, to you … know, take him…. I chose to stay behind, but-" he paused, trying to find fitting words. "He musta wanted to leave," came his southern accent sultry replied.

Claire nodded slowly, as she began piecing together what had happened. She grimaced as she thought of Kate protectively embracing Aaron, probably as her own son. It was only weeks ago when Kate had told her she refused to hold Aaron.

* * *

_The birds chirped quietly as the sun shone diagonally on the two ladies. The laundry was being hung and Kate was glancing around nervously._

"_You sure he's got Ben in his basement?" questioned Kate, smiling interestedly._

"_Uh huh. I saw Rousseau take him in there last night." Claire continued hanging laundry. It was shortly after Charlie's death and she was managing 'okay'._

"_Does Locke ever go out?" Kate shot a sideways glance._

_"No, he's been in there cooking all day." Aaron's cries became much more aggressive and loud in the background. "He invited us all over for dinner." Silence fell between them as awkward stares were exchanged. "Oh, can you get Aaron for me?"_

_Kate looked taken back, she was in a perfect opportunity to aid out Claire._

_"Just pick him up and rock him a little bit." The white sheet was folded neatly in half and Claire continued working. Kate was in a state of shock._

_"Um…" Kate smiled gently at the fussy Aaron. "Yeah… I'm just not very good with babies. I wouldn't want him to get more upset."_

_Claire grinned at Kate's shyness. She was the bravest, toughest and most built girl on the island, yet here she was scared of this little baby. "Here, I got him."_

_Kate's uncertain looks made her double take as Claire groaned at Aaron's weight. His cries seemed to hush as the Australian whispered gently into his ear._

"_Oh… it's okay." She talked some gibberish Kate couldn't make out. "There we go."_

_Kate smiled lovingly at the new mother. "You're so good with him." Claire began giggling at this. Charlie had always been the better 'parent' to Aaron; Claire was just the clueless and useless birth mother. "What?"_

"_Just the last thing I ever thought I'd be good at was being a mum." The girls exchanged smiles. "You know, you should try it sometime."_

* * *

This memory worried Claire, but she tried to be positive. _I can start again. I have nothing else to lose._ She looked up at Charlie and possibly to Aaron, giving a weak smile. She hoped silently Kate would change her fugitive ways and take care of Aaron.

The long walk back to the beach was much more enjoying with Sawyer. But Claire was curious as to how Hurley had ended up with Aaron.

"When I couldn't find you, Hurley came back from being with Locke. I…" he stopped momentarily. "I thought you were dead. The freighters attacked us and Hurley managed to escape back to the beach. The helicopter came and well, you know the rest, sweetheart." Sawyer gave an outlandish face to Claire, neither pleased nor poignant.

"So, what happened to you?" the former mother questioned.

Sawyer grinned. "I survived." Claire smiled curtly. "Don't worry, we'll be at the beach soon.

* * *

The bloody fingers in which could play the bass with ease gripped Ben harder with every churn and rumble the DHARMA station brought. Ben's manipulative eyes gazed deep into the rocker's blazing face, trying to read his emotions.

"You put up a real, good fight Charlie. It's like your musical career, and look where they brought you." Ben grinned as the Brit steamed in anger. Ben choked as Charlie threw him against a wall.

"Don't you speak," he spat coldly. Looking behind him, he tugged Ben towards the back exit and began running. The monster loomed overhead, but Charlie ran as hard as he could. Ben slowed him down, but ran mostly along side him. As the monster's crashes and sounds dimmed, the two stopped their run.

"What's your next move Charlie? Or do you even have one?" Ben sneered. Charlie ignored his snarky remarks and tugged him towards the beach. The two walked in silence until Charlie felt the burning sensation of white, tropical sand touch his bare foot. Ben gazed out towards the other island and grinned.

Charlie heaved deeply as he prepared his next steps. _How to do it…._ He sighed and turned around to Ben's face. It was an ugly sight, with cuts and bruises from a fight. But, before the Brit could control it, his emotions began pouring into his mind. Claire. Aaron. His deaths. The deaths of others. His pain and suffering.

In one swift movement, he sucker punched Ben, crippling him to the floor. "That was for killing my friends." Another blow came as Ben attempted to sit up.

"That's for trapping me here." Ben tipped over and blood pooled out of his mouth. He grunted in agony when he felt the blow to his stomach.

"That's for killing me not once, but twice," Charlie spat, as he kicked him again. Ben curled over and moaned softly. The Brit grinned at his strength, but shortly frowned at what else this vile man had done.

"This is for Aaron," Charlie bellowed. He kicked his now bloody foot into Ben's jaw, watching as his captive winced in pain, grousing loudly.

"And finally… this is for Claire." The Brit hastily picked up the mangled hostage and pounded him with every inch of strength he had. Ben collapsed on the stained sand and lay motionless. The former rocker smiled at his masterpiece of blood, slowly tugging on his surprise.

"See this Ben?" Charlie dangled a black hand gun in front of his face. "This is a gun, which is loaded… and ready to kill you."

"You wouldn't… you don't have the, the…"

Charlie grinned. "Remember Ethan?" Ben closed his eyes and began quivering at Charlie's feet. Laughing, the Brit cocked the gun and aimed it at Ben's face.

Charlie's hand shook slightly as he held the gun. Ben lay motionless, anticipating his back up plan. The sounds of the forest behind them took Charlie by surprise. Multiple guns being cocked and aimed towards his head.

"Put down the gun Charlie." Frightened, the rocker threw the gun into the water behind him. A few Others helped Ben to his feet and ushered Charlie closer to the water.

"Swim for it," an Other ordered. Charlie blinked and slowly, waded until he could swim through the oceans choppy tide. _What the hell am I going to do?_

"Bollocks…" muttered Charlie as he made his way towards the main island.

Ben heaved and prepared himself. "Where's the boat? I still have to move the island."

* * *

At last, the two reached the sandy shores they once called home. But, the forest and shrubbery down the coast was not paradise. Trees and plants were uprooted and scattered across the sandy, white beach like the parade of a careless child. The two passed confused and worried glances, than began running.

It was Oceanic flight 815 all over again.

The scene was mild chaos in comparison to the crash, but nonetheless in pandemonium. Sawyer ran over to Jin, who was being treated by a wounded Juliet.

"Sawyer, hold this," Juliet commanded. Claire stood in awe, and was unsure of what to do. _I have to look out fo-_ The thought hit her so fast she began running to survivors she barely knew. _There is no more Aaron. No more standing back._It was like a new found freedom.

"Claire?" Jin was calling out to her. His slight wounds caused Claire to run to him. "…You… alive?"

Claire nodded quickly and tried to tend to his wounds. Juliet began shouting, despite her confusion.

"You need to stop his bleeding, find some gauze in Jack's tent." Claire sprinted to what remained of Jack's tent. There were screams of agony and cries of pain all over the beach.

"Guaze… guaze… where is it?" Claire fumed quietly to herself. She smiled as she took two enormous handfuls and ran back to Jin.

As Juliet treated Jin with the help of Sawyer, Claire scanned the rest of the beach. The remaining freighters, Dan and Charlotte, were aiding everyone they could. _I don't understand… what made this happen?_She turned back to Jin and began questioning.

"Jin… what happened?" Claire said, as she attempted to articulate her English without such a heavy Australian accent.

"Freighter… blew up. Swam to island," Jin replied in choppy, short breaths. _His English is improving._"Helicopter … left … with," Jin tried to start.

"With the doctor, Kate, Sun, Hurley, Sayid and Aaron," Sawyer finished. Everyone fell silent as each of them yearned for someone important; Juliet for Jack, Sawyer for Kate, Jin for Sun and Claire for Aaron. Finally, Jin spoke up.

"How… you know?"

"Because I was on that helicopter," Sawyer replied bitterly and walked away. Claire stared at him for a moment then back to Juliet.

"What can I do to help?"

* * *

Charlie panted heavily, trying hard not to panic. Exhausted, he focused his attention to the ever-changing sky. It was glowing ultra violet, never once experiencing this explosive transform. _Blimey, what the bloody hell is going on?_ The now distant second island seemingly faded and Charlie's eyes grew in amazement.

He felt his weak legs giving in, but he needed to move on. Whatever was happening, he had to make it. The rocker forced his arms and legs to continue on through the determination of his will power. _Almost…there…._

The water rippled and there was a loud boom. Dazed and seeing stars, Charlie covered his ears to the loud noise. He opened his eyes to his soaked body. He rolled over on the beach and sobbed of joy. As he sat up, he couldn't see the other island. _I'm just delusional. _The Brit slept awkwardly on the beach, dreaming of Claire and Aaron.

When Charlie awoke, the island still wasn't there. _Bloody hell… at least I made it._ He managed to scrounger up a meagre breakfast and began continuing down the beach line. _I'm bound to reach them eventually. Now, how am I going to get rid of Ben?_

**Thanks for all the reviews! Next Chapter will be posted shortly!**


	7. Impossible is Nothing

**Before I start, I need to explain the timeline Let me explain what happens when, so you can easily follow what is going on. **

**1. Charlie is given a 3rd chance at life  
2. Over time, Charlie moves to the wrong island, while Claire is 'missing'. Sawyer has left with Jack (watch season 4 finales)  
3. If you've seen season 4, Sawyer jumps out of the helicopter. He lands back on the island.  
4. Sawyer finds Claire, after being informed five people have left the island (Locke knows Sawyer is back on the island). PLEASE NOTE: THEY ARE OFF THE ISLAND, NOT 'RESCUED' (aka in a helicopter)  
5. Time passes (Sawyer/Claire move towards the beach, Charlie fights his way off the other island)  
6. Both Charlie and the blown up freighter people land back on our island, in which…  
7. Ben has successfully moved the island and presto.**

**I also want to apologize for a lack of Chaire! I needed to do it! And I want to apologize for choppy/short sections! (Gah this chapter sucks)**

**Again, I own nothing!**

* * *

The soft sand heaved and sighed from the compressions of the feet frustratingly pounding each grain. Ripples and diminutive footprints marked the trail of the ghost, who walked alone down the sandy shores. He turned his head to view the never-ending mass of ocean that slopped its waves against the island. A simple sigh represented his relief, exhaustion and of course, that love/hate for the island.

One could lose themselves the way Charlie continued on. He never doubted himself, despite his unusual circumstance. The island, a power greater than the rocker ever obtained, depicted the way each person should choose to act on the island's own control. The former DriveShaft member had been selected to be the sacrifice, the one who must help others over himself.

Frustrated, Charlie kicked the sand. _None of this will work! I don't even know where he is! … Bollocks!_ Sometimes, being the sacrifice isn't always the best job.

* * *

_Claire was dozing uncomfortably on the ground, close to Sawyer. Lately, the conman had protected her and comforted her when she needed it most._

_"Just a few more minutes of sleep…" Claire thought._

_When Claire woke up, Sawyer was nowhere to be found. Half frantic, half-sleepy, Claire arose and began searching for the Southerner._

_"Morning, sweetheart," came a recognizable voice. Claire smiled as she turned around._

_"Morning. What were you doing?" questioned the Australian._

_"Grabbing some breakfast for us." Sawyer smiled warmly._

_"Thanks, I'm starving," grinned Claire. The two had developed a close relationship over the course of what Claire remembered._

_The two ate in silence, examining the forest intently. Claire, however, needed disclosure on what had happened to Sawyer before she was found._

_"Sawyer, what did you do before you found me? I mean, what happened?"_

_He looked at her, stopped and sighed deeply._

_"Well, sweetheart, I almost didn't find you. I almost didn't come back," Sawyer replied somewhat coldly._

* * *

Claire vaguely remembered what Sawyer had said about what happened to him before she entered his world. She tried envisioning things, outrageous and yet simple solutions, none that seemed to fit.

"Saw-," Claire started. She paused for a moment, and then changed her mind. "Never mind, let's just keep moving towards the beach."

* * *

Ben took a mirror to his gruesome face and sighed. He had a huge gash under his chin, followed by two deep-set black eyes. The ruthless dictator winced in pain while trying to ease himself into the boat.

"We'll be there soon, so we can tend to-,"

"No, moving the island is more important," Ben declared. "After I move the island, stay with Locke. He can lead you."

The Others looked at each other for approval and nodded in agreement. Ben simply situated himself in a more comfortable position. He smiled at a minute figure swimming slowly in the distance.

As the boat reached the adjacent shores, a small team of Others poured onto the sand to embark towards the Orchid. The jungle trek seemed like eternity as the group approached the abandoned DHARMA station.

"I know my way from this point on. Wait for Locke here," Ben commanded.

The vile man turned and cut through heavy brush, anticipating his arrival at the bizarre station. It was large, over grown with plants and deep within the mountain's thick forest. The greenhouse seemed out of place, but Benjamin Linus knew his way in. Flipping a covert switch, a rickety elevator shaft appeared where shelves of flowers had been.

Down in the real station, Ben scraped around for anything metal. He had to perform the impossible for this island to be saved. Together, he threw the metal in an open doorway, much like a portal. A series of small explosions confirmed his success. Climbing through the portal and past the tarnished metal, Ben found the hole he had always sought for but never wished to see.

It was cold, another abnormality of the island. Ben climbed down the ice ladder, breaking quickly. His air hung for a moment, but he pressed further. Sliding over the ice, Ben grasped the wheel slammed deeply within the island's wall. He groaned at the wheel's resistance, but moved the handle forward slowly nonetheless.

"This is for you Jacob. You got what you wanted." A tear gently rolled down his face.

The wheel began glowing yellow and bright, as Benjamin Linus pushed the handle a full 180º and finished what he had started.

* * *

_He knew with every stroke that Freckles would do the right thing and he had made a good decision. With every other stroke, however, Sawyer felt the longing to be back on the helicopter to escape this damned island._

_Finally, the hated island came into enormous view. Pushing himself to his limits, Sawyer swam headstrong to the island's beach._

"_Damn it Hurley, why'd you have to weigh so much?" Sawyer thought greedily._

The con dragged his soaking body up the vacant beach, panting with every step. Sawyer knew he had overshot their side of the island be a long shot, so there was no point of calling out. Instead, he walked straight into the jungle, only to discover he wasn't alone.

* * *

The screams came from every direction, all from the same disaster. Jin had explained that the freighter had been laced with C4 explosives and when the boat detonated, everyone had either died of been saved by Daniel Farraday.

Claire looked up to see Dan and Charlotte leaving for another victim trip. The woman Claire had been tending to smiled weakly and drifted off to sleep, leaving the Australian to herself.

The familiar beach seemed so different, but yet all the same. Claire straggled off, leaving the others to think on her own.

"Oh, I-…sorry, I'll just-," Claire started.

"No, don't worry about it sweetheart," replied a calm Sawyer.

Shyly, Claire sat herself down and gazed longingly towards the distance. A small shaft of smoke rose up, barely visible to the naked eye. A loud humming grew as the sky turned ultra violet, like a déjà vu. Claire recognized this and covered her ears, while Sawyer placed a protective arm around her. A deafening roar and boom changed everything.

* * *

She knew exactly what to search for, deep within the jungle. Her blonde hair bounced slightly as she walked towards the plant. Her genuine smile glistened as the girl stole a ripe fruit off the tree.

Thinking of the others, she gathered as much as her arms could carry. Juggling all that she could, the blonde spun around. But nothing could stop her arms from dropping every mango she was carrying.

She stood on the edge of the forest, an inch away from the golden beach. Gasping slightly at the man walking in front of her, she blinked several times.

"Charlie?"


End file.
